Process of making electrically welded wire mesh material



R. J. SOUTHWELL June 5, 1934.

PROCESS OF MAKING ELECTRICALLY WELDED WIRE MESH MATERIAL Filed March 19, 1930 NTOR y 770/70 hi0 I ATTORNEYS Patented June 5, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE PROCESS OF MAKING ELECTRICALLY WELDED WIRE MESH MATERIAL Application March 19, 1930, Serial No. 436,949

12 Claims.

This invention has for its object to enable the production of electrically welded wire mesh material in such simple and inexpensive manner as to materially reduce the cost and extend the field of use for such material.

The continuous warp wires or strands are supplied from any suitable source such as a feed roll or coils held under tension, and are held parallel as by being passed over a grooved guide roll having grooves spaced apart the distance that is desired between the warp strands in the completed mesh product, and the finished product wound upon a take-up roll as per common practice. The feed may be continuous or intermittent as may be desired.

In accordance with my invention, the woof material, preferably wire of circular section, is continuous, as distinguished from woof material applied in short pieces, and is applied in bights laid across from one selvage edge to the other with the successive bights joined together in loops at the selvage edges similar to the loops formed in weaving. The continuous woof wire may be supplied from any suitable source, as for example it may be wound on a supply spool, drum, bobbin or the like.

I make provision for laying the woof wire back and forth across the warp wires, preferably on top of the warp wires, and for holding the woof bights in their ultimate relation to the warp wires while both are traveling forward together, and

further make provision for welding the woof and warp wires together while so held, whereupon the holding means are released, being no longer needed to keep the crossing wires in proper relation, and the mesh material having been com pleted can be wound on the take-up roll.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view and Fig. 2 a side view indicating diagrammatically a preferred mode of carrying out my invention.

Reference character 10 indicates a feed roll or rolls for supplying the warp wire 12 over the grooved guide roll 14, and 16 is a take-up roll 45 and 18 a guide roll for guiding the completed fabric on its way to the take-up roll.

Reference character 20 designates belts running on pulleys 221 at each selvage edge of the series of warp wire and carrying studs 24. The upper reach of the belt or other endless stud carrier 20 may be supported as by means of a bar or track 26.

The drive is preferably such that the studs 24 along such upper reach of the endless carrier are 55 moved forward along with the longitudinal feeding movement of the warp wires and the relation between the studs 24 on opposite selvage edges is preferably such that the pins or studs 24 at one edge are opposite the spaces between the pins or studs at the opposite edge and vice versa (see Fig. 1).

The woof strand 30 here indicated as being supplied from spool 32 through the guide and tensioning device 34 is laid back and forth across the warp wires and passed alternately around pins 24 at the opposite selvage edges as indicated in Fig. 1. Any suitable form of cross carrier, as, for example, the carrier 36 running on tracks 37 may be used for this purpose, and with sufficiently light wire the woof may be shot across with any suitable form of shuttle or in other ways, as will be readily understood.

It will be seen that within the region marked A on Fig. 2 the warp and woof wires will be held in correct relation to one another as the carrier 20 with pins 24 thereon is moved forward along with the warp wires. While so held I weld the crossed wires together, by means of any of the well-known forms of electrical welding appliances such as indicated for example at 40, and which may be applied from either or both sides and may travel temporarily with the mesh material being made, or may be stationary for use with intermittent fabric feed, or may have various other relations with the fabric being formed so as to permit the welding operation to be performed as the feeding progresses, and if desired the welding of several woof bights to the warp wires may be performed simultaneously. 7

After the welding is completed with the bights of warp wire held by pins 24, as described, the further advance of belt 20 carries the pins 24 around the pulley 22 nearest the take-up roll 16 and withdraws and disengages pins 24 from the woof loops, leaving the completed fabric to pass over guide roll 18 and be wound up on take-up roll 16.

. I claim:

1 The process of making electrically welded fabric of metallic strands which comprises advancing a series of parallel longitudinal strands, supporting same for a material distance as they are advanced, laying a continuous woof strand in back and forth bights across upon the longitudinal strands between the ends of the supported portions, holding the woof bights by their selvage looped ends while advancing same along with the longitudinal strands, electrically welding the crossing strands together while so held, and releasing the completed welded fabric from the holding means.

2. The process of making fabric of metallic strands which comprises taking a series of warp strands adapted to be fed longitudinally feeding same forward so as to present supported parts of material length, forming a series of woof bights from a continuous strand across the supported parts of the warp strands by a transverse shuttling action supplemented by engagement of the bights at the bends and causing the bights to move with and in the directionof travel of the so-supported parts of warp strands, and securing the woof bights to the warp strands-at the points of crossing prior to' the disengagement of the bight bends.

3. The process of making fabric of metallic strands which comprises taking warp strands adapted to be fed longitudinally, feeding same forward while supporting parts thereof of material length forming a continuous strand into woof bights across the warp strands by a transverse shuttling action and by engaging the bights at the bends for movement in the direction of travel of the warp strands, the bights being made to travel along with the warp strands while supported and retained in the desired ultimate position relative to the warp strands, and securing the bights while thus retained to the so-supported parts of the warp strands at the points of crossing.

4. Process in accordance with claim 3 in which the longitudinal movement of the warp strands and bights is interrupted during the shuttling action and the securement of the bights to the warp strands is effected. during such interruption. 5. The process of making fabric of metallic strands which comprises taking warp strands adapted to be fed longitudinally, feeding same forward while supporting parts thereof of material length, forming a continuous strand into woof bights across said warp strands by a transverse shuttle action and by engaging the bights at the bends for longitudinal movement, the bights being made to travel along with the parts of the warp strands that are so supported with the bights retained in the desired ultimate position relative thereto, securing the woof bights while so retained to the so-supported warp strands at the crossing points, and then disengaging the bights from the retaining means.

6. The process of making ,wire mesh which comprises feeding continuous warp wires longitudinally while supporting side-by-side portions thereof of material length, laying a single continuous woof wire back and forth across the sosupported said warp wires at a fixed general position, engaging said woof wire within each of the loops thus formed at the sides, advancing the woof pattern along with the advancing warp wires, fastening the woof wire to the warp wires at the crossing points, and disengaging the loops.

7. The process defined in claim 6 in which the wires are fastened together at their crossings by welding.

8. The process defined in claim 6 in which the wires are advanced intermittently and are fastened at their crossings while at rest.

9. The process defined in claim 6 in which the wires are advanced intermittently and are welded together at their crossings while at rest.

10. The process of making wire mesh which comprises feeding warp wires longitudinally while supporting side-by-side parts thereof of material length, feeding out at least one continuous woof wire from a substantially fixed position above the so-supported parts of the warp wires, moving the woof wire or wires from side to side in the same general path across the warp wires, and fastening the woof wire to the warp wires where they cross.

11. The process of making wire mesh which comprises feeding warp wires longitudinally while supporting side-by-side parts thereof of material length, feeding out a continuous woof wire from a substantially fixed position above the so-supported partsof the warp wires, moving it from side to side in the same general path across the supported parts of the warp wires, advancing the cross lengths of woof wire with the advancing supported parts of the warp wires, and fastening the wires together at their crossings with each cross portion of the woof wire bearing the same relation to.the warp wires when secured thereto as it had when first strung across.

12. The process defined in claim 11 in which the wires are fastened together by welding.

RAYMOND J. SOUTHWELL. 

